What Causes Numbness And Tingling In Hands?

Posted on Thu, 12 Nov 2015

Question: A couple of days ago I was experiencing numbness and tingling in my hands and feet. And, when I turned a certain way, I could feel a twinge in my lower back. As soon as I took some Aleve and rested the symptoms in my feet and lower back went away. However, I am still experiencing mild numbness in my fingertips, even with the Aleve. I am not in any pain. I think I may have injured my spine and there is inflammation in the area where the nerves come out and go to my hands and feet. What do you think? Please respond to: YYYY@YYYY

Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
A possibility, will require an MRI spine to confirm/rule out ma'am

Detailed Answer:
Hello ma'am and welcome.

Thank you for writing to us.

I have gone through your query with diligence and would like you to know that I am here to help. Spine related abnormalities are indeed one of the most common causes for a presentation similar to yours, and to confirm/rule out the same I would recommend an MRI of the spine. Injury of the spine is not always the cause, there can be other degenerative changes causing such a presentation, herniated disk, disc prolapse, etc.

But there are a few other causes also which your doctor will choose to look into if at all the spine related abnormalities do not show up on the test results. Please do find some time to speak to a doctor and get the diagnosis established, after which treatment can be directed.

I hope you find my response helpful. Please forgive me as we are not allowed to contact patients directly on their personal email addresses. Please also feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help.

Best wishes.

Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar